CU Buff Ryan Miller drafted by Cleveland Browns

Offensive lineman is just the 10th Buff picked since 2007

Colorado's Ryan Miller fills out the paperwork for NFL scouts during CU's pro timing day in March. Miller was drafted Saturday by the Cleveland Browns.
(CLIFF GRASSMICK)

Former Colorado offensive lineman Ryan Miller went into the NFL draft this weekend believing he could be selected anywhere between round two and the end of the draft.

It turned out Miller had to wait until the fifth round Saturday afternoon to hear his name called when the Cleveland Browns selected him with the 160th overall pick. But at least Miller now knows where he is going, the colors of the uniform he will be wearing and the competition he faces to earn a job at the highest level of the game he loves.

“I really try to play aggressive; I try to play nasty; I try to play vicious; I try to play till the whistle blows,” Miller told ClevelandBrowns.com. “I may not be the most technically sound, but I'll give you my all. I'll bleed, fight, claw, scratch to get the job done. I think it came from high school when we ran the ball every play and just having the country boy mentality that nothing in life is easy and you get what you work for. It's always just kind of been do-or-die for me.”

Miller grew up rooting for the Denver Broncos and the Browns selected him with a pick obtained from the Broncos in a previous trade.

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Miller spent the past five seasons at the CU where he played both guard and tackle for the Buffs following a standout prep career at Columbine High School in Littleton. He was a team captain as a senior and logged playing time in all five seasons he spent in Boulder. The NCAA restored a year of eligibility after he was injured early in his sophomore season.

Miller set the school record for career starts at 48, including the 2007 Independence Bowl. He played all but one snap in his senior season and committed only two penalties, allowed one sack and one quarterback pressure in 850 plays.

Miller is only the 10th CU player to be drafted since 2007. He is the second CU offensive lineman to be selected in as many years, joining Nate Solder who was a first-round pick by New England last year. Fullback Lawrence Vickers was the last Buff drafted by Cleveland in 2006 with the 180th overall pick.

At 6-foot-7, 321 pounds, Miller has the body of tackle but might be better suited to play guard as a pro unless he is able to improve his quickness and footwork in pass protection. He was the only Buff in a senior class of 28 to be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February where he impressed scouts by bench pressing 225 pounds 32 times (third most in the combine) and ran a 5.09 40-yard dash.

While Miller is the only Buff who has been drafted so far this year, numerous other former CU players could be late picks and are likely to sign free agent contracts if they go undrafted. That list includes quarterback Tyler Hansen, running back Rodney Stewart, receiver Toney Clemons, tight end Ryan Deehan, guard Ethan Adkins, fullback Evan Harrington, defensive ends Josh Hartigan and David Goldberg, defensive tackle Conrad Obi and defensive backs Travis Sandersfeld and Anthony Perkins.